Legacy of Strife: Return of the Hollow King
by WaltertheMadGod
Summary: Three Creators reminisce about the old regimes of King Draco and the First Hollow. In a sudden unanimous decision, they all elect to redefine the race known as Hollow. Their stepping in results in a brand new race entirely, which is ruled by the High King Tristram Alejandre. How will Ichigo, his friends, and even the Soul Society, deal with the Sabians? Only time will tell.


Oryx watched as he saw Aizen plotting, planning on ways to acquire the Hogyoku. Oryx couldn't help but chuckle quietly to himself. He had given it to Kisuke Urahara so that he could use it to research hollowkind, and that had bore fruit in droves. Aizen had managed to drive off Kisuke from the Soul Society, but had always wanted to take Kisuke's creation for himself. This was why Oryx chuckled. Not just because he knew Aizen's scheming was in vain, but because Kisuke had never been the one to create the Hogyoku–that had been the work of Oryx. He had simply allowed Kisuke to _believe_ that he had created it.

He was not the only one watching the foolish Aizen. Talos also watched, as did Melkor. The three of them had wrought worlds from nothingness together, and each one, in their own right, was powerful. They all had pitied the deaths of mighty legacies that had once existed in the world, legacies of Hueco Mundo, the world of hollows. The three had agreed to take an alternate reality of Ichigo Kurosaki's world–now the reality they were observing currently–and to use it as a way to continue the legacies that had died, all as a united legacy.

The Three began work on a pair of arrancars that would herald the Second Coming. The first of the pair was thin and frail, and looked as if he were old and wizened. He had grey hair that was withered and frayed, with a slight beard of the same silvery grey. He wore upon his brow a crest of bone, and a small hole could be seen going through the base of his sternum. They gave him the gift of knowledge, of the soul reapers, of the quincies, of the hollows, of the arrancar–of nearly everything he would need knowledge of. He would be the one to reclaim the Hogyoku, and he would keep it safe from those who were unworthy. He, who would act as an adviser to the High King, was given the name Santiago.

The second of the two, who would be the High King himself, was fashioned in the likeness of the old king Draco himself. The hole took place at the very center of his chest, and the mask fragment took up the upper right part of his face, a horn jutting from it and facing forward. His hair was long and wild, colored a gleaming gold. He looked young and in his prime, as well as lean and athletic, though he would not be without common sense and some knowledge. The Three gave this one the gift as his sword, named Zangetsu after the first Hollow King. They imbued this new King with the essence of the old King, and named their champion Tristram.

After these two were created and clothed, three more things were created, to assist in the establishment and development of this new legacy: Herrero, an entity capable of creating arrancar zanpakuto through a new method which would allow a new means of reproduction; the Beacon, which would allow for an artificial means of Negacion that didn't need mindless Gillians; and the Veil, a means for sealing off Hueco Mundo from all outsiders who were not from the new Hueco Mundo.

Indeed, the Three of them wished to change the Hollow World forever. They wished to turn the realm from a desolate desert of white sand to a sprawling world of colors, flora, and fauna, with mountains and forests, where resources were always found in copious amounts. They wished to make for hollowkind a unique source of magic and sorcery, one that could be more easily molded than the Kido that the reapers used. Most of all, they wished to do what the hollows believed impossible–to split away the majority of Hueco Mundo from the rest of hollowkind, give them back what they could of their humanity, and help shape them into their own species. The original hollow race would still exist, but they would not have access to Hueco Mundo, and they would still perpetuate within the Cycle, but for the others, the same would not be said.

Before any alterations were made, though, Oryx assumed his human form and went forth to the Soul Society, to deal with Aizen and his two companions. It took but a bit of effort, and Aizen's manipulative nature, as well as his aspirations to overthrow the Soul King, were turned to dust and swept away, allowing his kind and caring demeanor to assume its rightful place. Oryx even altered the capabilities of Kyoka Suigestu as well, changing it from having the power of perfect hypnosis to truly harnessing manipulation of water, though most of its strength was sapped.

Gin and Tosen, however, were quite necessary for the legacy. Oryx came before each of them, altering their minds to fit his needs. They would be working in secret for Tristram, gathering intelligence and keeping away suspicions. He slightly changed the events of Kisuke Urahara's exile simply so that it did not include Aizen. Furthermore, he managed to come before Kisuke and reclaim the Hogyoku, planting the seed in his mind that he had given it to Oryx willingly so as to hide it. Then, he introduced one last piece onto the board–Michi, a young member of Eleventh Company who had been hollowfied. Oryx had him placed with the other Visoreds, where he would fit in just nicely.

Then came the greatest work of all–changing the nature of Hueco Mundo itself. Oryx, Talos, and Melkor traveled there together. They had changed their forms into humanoid shapes of lightless shadow, and they came before Baraggan with not even a single word. With one motion, Talos and Oryx each brought forth their power across the entirety of Hueco Mundo, the universe itself bending and warping to meet the new demands of its Creators. Talos used his power to bring life into the empty white sands, causing trees and plants to sprout from the ground. In some places, the sand turned to soil, and small springs of fresh water appeared. The desert began to morph into several new environments and biomes, and color was brought into the world which once had was monochrome. Not only did the earth change, but so too did the sky, which began to show that the moon was moving, which soon was replaced by a dim sun which glowed a warm yellow.

Oryx's power focused less on the land, and more on the people. The many Menos which lived in Hueco Mundo felt strange sensations through their bodies, as did the base hollows which had taken up residence on the plane of existence. Each hollow who was a Gillian or stronger, and who was self aware, found their form shrink into that of a human, with a hole somewhere on their body, a fragment of their mask upon their head or face, and white, ragged clothing clinging to their forms and preserving their dignity. Those who were mindless, or were not strong enough to be Menos, found themselves stripped of their previous intelligence, which was replaced with a mind that could only be considered an animal, and their bodies were warped into forms which resembled animals from the Living World. Some managed to survive this fate, but whereas the survivors still felt a growing emptiness, those that _had_ felt the touch of Oryx were no longer haunted by the constant gnawing hunger.

Melkor, as his two fellow Creators altered the world to fit their needs, brought forth Santiago and Tristram, accompanied by Herrero. He awoke them then, giving them their minds, their memories, their knowledge. With them prepared to awaken, Melkor planted a seed within their mind, a way of explaining the events set in motion by the Three. He then placed a seed within the minds of the rest of Hueco Mundo's hollows: to make their way to Las Noches, and unite under the High King's banner.

With all this finished, the Three then turned and left, returning from whence they came. They knew that they had just taken a version of the Cycle and ripped it apart, and that the soul reapers would no doubt be appalled by what was to occur. Therefor, they had the Veil sealed shut, setting it to unseal itself against outsiders when Ichigo Kurosaki's powers manifested. Now, the Three began to watch once again, observing what would follow the awakening of the new race of arrancars...

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_We fill the void with hope and heart,  
A brand new age is what we'll start,  
To avenge the glory of Zangetsu's life,  
We shall endure this path of strife._

**I came up with this poem in five minutes. The last line, in particular, references "A Destiny of Strife, a Hollow's Quest."**


End file.
